Ron DeSantis appointed the radically pro-lockdown, Never-Trump Democrat, Dave Kerner as Interim Executive Director of Florida’s Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles in January this year, ignoring a petition by more than one thousand Floridians who opposed the appointment on the grounds that his policies contravened freedom in the sunshine state, The National Pulse can reveal.
Kerner, 39, is a former Democratic Member of the Florida House of Representatives with a radical legislative record, including voting to force churches to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies, voting against a bill to ban Floridian taxpayer money from funding abortions, voting against a bill to allow local law enforcement to detain illegal migrants, and even voting in favor of a bill allowing illegal immigrants to practice law in Florida.
In Florida, we support law enforcement, reject the anti-police movement, and focus on justice for victims — not coddling criminals.
Democrat and former police officer @DavidMKerner stands for the rule of law. Thankful to receive his endorsement today in West Palm Beach! pic.twitter.com/9sE15ZclMd
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) September 21, 2022
Kerner and COVID.
Kerner acquired a reputation during the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping Palm Beach County closed longer than most others in his capacity as Palm Beach County Commissioner and Mayor. He was responsible for installing armed law enforcement officers, known as the “COVID Education and Compliance Team (CECT),” to enforce restrictions on more than a million Palm Beach County residents, claiming, “[t]here are bad actors in this community.”
CECT – which Kerner says was cleared by DeSantis’s office itself – visited cinemas and went door-to-door visiting restaurants to intimidate residents, with Kerner boasting his force “go out almost every night or every day.” One local restaurant manager said Kerner’s actions made it “extremely hard to run a business.”
As a result of his Stasi-like record, Floridians petitioned DeSantis not to appoint him to his latest post as Executive Director of Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles due to his “actions of supporting and enforcing harsh COVID mandates and shutdowns resulted in policies that harmed Floridians under his leadership.”
Despite the public concern, DeSantis approved Kerner and boasted over his nomination in January 2023, ostensibly in exchange for the Democrat’s endorsement in his gubernatorial election against Charlie Crist last November.
“The first one is, the COVID Education & Compliance Team, I have vetted this through the Governor’s Office…” -Palm Beach County Mayor Dave Kerner pic.twitter.com/vwZGpU8pwL
— Here I go, so (@here_I_go_so) March 17, 2023
Kerner’s claimed that he “worked daily” with DeSantis’s office is reminiscent of the Governor’s real record on COVID, which included allowing “Florida’s Fauci” – Dr. Alina Alonso – to run roughshod over her residents without being fired.
I’ve never been contacted by Yahoo news or anyone from DHS (or FEMA for that matter). @GovRonDeSantis and his agencies have worked daily with our county. Mistakes happen and they reported incorrectly on our county. It happens. Onward and up
— Dave Kerner (@DavidMKerner) May 17, 2020
Today I was joined by Palm Beach County Mayor @DavidMKerner and @HealthyFla to provide updates on Florida’s meaningful progress in our state's 3rd week of vaccine distribution. To date, 175,000+ Floridians have received a vaccine for COVID-19. More info – https://t.co/aH0ryg6Lzc
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) December 30, 2020
DeSantis’s heavily revised record on COVID collapses upon even basic scrutiny, which is why his campaign has sought to muddy the waters of the COVID-19 task force, Operation Warp Speed, and President Trump’s role during the pandemic.
